Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-11
TRICKS IN TRADES
How Some People Grow Rich by Working !
Little Schemes.
Pittsburg Dispatch

Row some HeOplo GROW hlCn by Working
Little Schemes.
Pittsburg Dispatch.
Every newspaper reporter of even a
few months experience among the gen.
crafty of mankind knows that there is q
certain class of humanity that wishes to
use him and that it assaults his virtues in
various ways and that the brides Offered
vary according to the intelligence of the
briber, or the supposed price of the
"bribee." One man puts his faith in taffy
and another in something more substan-
tial, the substantially ranging from g.
cigar or glass Of beer, or whisky. to a
SIS or $1,000 bill, according to circufa-
| stances.
But newspaper men are not the only
ones on whom seductive arts and in
: fUenceS are exerted, and a grain dealer
was heard the other day detailing his ex-
| perience. He stated that some men en-
ployed to buy feed, etc, for corporations
at moderate salaries soon managed to put
aside competence by favoring certain
| purveyOrs in those lines. He related an
instance in point. Not long since the
president of q corporation resigned or was
! displaced and q new man took his place.
| The corporation in question bought
largely of horse feed, and the president
was the purchaser. He, it seems, was
| possessed of an old-fashioned notion that
it was his duty to buy to the best possible
advantage for the company, and the COM
plainant, by close figuring, had managed
to secure considerable patronage Since
the change he has been unable to deal
with the new purchasing agent, bids ap-
parently being unnoticed. Having sew
eral carloads of hay to sell he tried in
vain to sell it to the new man, and finally
got hint that another dealer could do so,
and tie stuff was turned over to to him.
The first dealer took the trouble to ascer-
tain where the hay went, and, as he eX-
peCted, found that it was bought by the
company whose purchasing agent refused
TO buy from him. Following the trail
closely he found that the stuff cost the
stockholders SI2 extra, the commission
of the intermediate, and was not deliv-
cred on the line of road nearest the COM
pany's stable, as the retired official mad
always stipulated. The complaining
dealer says he got as much from the inter-
mediate as he had asked the principal for
the hay.
THE STABLE SQUEEZE.
In another instance he delivered two.
hundred bushels of oats at the factefg
stables of a manufacturer, and the owaer,
seeing the oats, was pleased with chem
and told him to send load to the stable
at his residence at Allegheny. The DEALER
replied that he couldn't do it at the same
price, and when reminded that the Allie
gheny stable was nearer his warehouse
than the Southside stables, replied: 81
know that, out would be obliged TO give
your carriage driver SIS to get him to &C
ant no nd ornic oil
not cover the bribe." The manufacturer
was astonished, but, it seems, finally
convinced that the dealer spoke the truth,
and he further learned that oats for his
carriage horses had been costing consid-
erably more than those eaten by the teams
that hauled for the factory. This dealer
states that, unless the bride were paid,
the best of feed put into that private sta
bic would be fouled so that horses would
not eat it. Whether the autocrat of that
stable still holds the reins there deponent
could not learn.
Some months ago the writer was seated
in business house talking with one of
the proprietors when q book-keeper
called from another room to know
whether a barrel of -four was to be
charged to "No," said the
proprietor with a sigh, "we can't break
with him." The writer was curious to
know something further, and applied the
pump. Said the merchant: "This is a
species of blackmail we are subjected to
very frequently. That man is in the en-
ploy of the - Railway Company. If
we allow him to bleed US little now and
then we can always get cars delivered on
time and where we want them, but if we
were to refuse him we would lose much
more than the price of barrel of -four
every day or two. He is said to be get
ting rich and it is said he pays nearly as
much house rent as his nominal salary.
But you see we have our hand in the
dogs mouth and must pet him or feel his
teeth"
THE SPIDER AND FLY ACT.
According to the first complainant, IN
principled dealers are often themselves
the instigators of this bribery. For in
stance: A dealer may go to a purchas-
ing agent and get on the blind side Of him.
The dealer may say, e. g.: "1'm going to
Cape May and have two tickets. Get a
week off and come along. 1t won't cost
you anything" The P. A. may fall into
the trap without suspicion, and "a-stroll-
ing on the sands," the syren sings him
into his fatal coil, and few suppers and
good wines ensIaVe the VICTIM TO Such an
extent that he must either be a hog or
more than human if that dealer hasn't the
inside track on his more scrupulous COM |
petitors, and, if it be d feed dealer, the |
poor corporation must get along the best |
way they can on musty hay or corn and |
oats chop, the oats being simply ost |
hulls. In time the poor brute goes stag
gering to his work, but he can not tell of
%6o hna 1nlo 1f sat, = e. a.
victim.
These are but samples of az abuse which |
is said to be very prevalent in nearly all |
departments of business. Stories are
told of bosses, foreman, ETC., who, for a
consideration, will at any time discharge
q man and put new one in his place
without any special reference to his
fitness. If the victim be a mechanic
trades union is likely to make kick, but
there are many common laborers who can
not claim benefit of clergy and must walk